After some high-level research and local retailer testing, my girlfriend and I decided that the most comfortable/appropriate mattress for us was the Beautyrest Black Katarina Luxury Firm King Mattress. Once I started researching the mattress and the price, I was referred to a number of websites suggesting to look elsewhere. I’ve found information on mattress shopping is a black hole of sorts, there’s a lot of information out there. Therefore I have a few questions I would appreciate some guidance with.
Is there a comparable mattress to the specs provided of the mattress we found the most comfortable. I’m especially interested in any of the manufacturers listed here:
Name: Katarina Luxury Firm Box Pillow Top
SKU: SIMM-80079
Vendor: Beautyrest
Mattress:80"L x 39"W x 15.5"H
Foundations:80"L x 38"W x 5.5"H
Mattress and Foundation dimensions are approximate
Quilt: Stretch Knit Cover
SurfaceCool Plus with Tencel fiber
1.25" QuiltLux foam .7LB
1" Comfort Foam 1.5LB
Comfort Layers: 2" AirCool Memory foam with Gel 2.5LB
1" Comfort foam 1.65LB
1/2" Micro Diamond Memory Foam 2.8LB
Bottom Upholstery(below comfort layers)
1 1/2" density foam 1.2LB
Support System: Advanced Pocketed Coil
Single sided sleep surface
17 gauge with 13.5 gauge
F/658 Q/850 K/1063 CK/1127 (pre-edge)
F/532 Q/682 K/899 CK/952 (actual)
Ventilated AirCool Design
full perimeter foam encasement
Power base compatible
Mattress Type: Innerspring
Origin: Made in New England
We have purchased a bedroom set that comes with a platform bed. Do we still need to consider a boxspring, or something below the actual mattress?
What is a recommended mattress protector?
Thank you for any help/guidance you are able to provide, I appreciate it.
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! … and I’m glad you found us before you purchased the Simmons mattress you were considering
The short answer is “probably not” and even if there was a mattress that would feel similar to you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) … regardless of whether it would feel similar to someone else … you certainly wouldn’t be able to find it based on the specs of a mattress unless every layer and component in both mattresses is exactly the same (which almost certainly wouldn’t exist).
My longer and more detailed reply in post #2 here about trying to “match” or “approximate” another mattress would be the same with any major brand mattress.
Like almost all of the major brand mattresses … the specs you listed include some very low quality and less durable materials that would be a significant weak link and could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress and I would definitely avoid it along with any other mattress that used similar quality/density materials. It would also include a different combination of materials and components than any of the online mattresses you will find or that are included in the simplified choice list of mattresses.
When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.
I’m not sure you are clear between the difference between a box spring and a foundation. A box spring has springs inside it that flex under the mattress and there are very few one sided mattresses today that use them as a support system and in many cases they will invalidate a mattress warranty. Most mattresses in the industry today need a steel or wooden bedframe with a foundation that has minimal to no flex (vs a box spring that flexes) or a platform bed which also has little to no flex under the mattress. There are many in the industry that mix up the terminology between box springs and foundations even though they are very different products.
Whether your platform bed would be a suitable support surface for any particular mattress would depend on the specifics of the mattress and the design of the platform bed. In most cases the manufacturer or retailer of a mattress will be a reliable source of information about whether any specific foundation or a platform bed is suitable for the mattress you are purchasing but there is also more information about the different type of support systems (bedframes and foundations or platform beds) that are generally suitable for different types of mattresses and some examples of each of them in post #1 here.
I don’t have any specific recommendations because it would depend on the criteria that are most important to you but there is more about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors and some examples of each of them in post #89 here.
One of the big things we noticed with the Katarina was how well it prevented movement dispersion. Is there a specific thing to look for within other kinds/configurations/materials of beds that will emulate this?
Also, my zip code is 14222. Do you have any recommendations on where I could shop locally?
There is more about motion transfer in post #18 here. Memory foam is the best at motion transfer but latex, pocket coils, microcoils, buckling column gel, and even polyfoam are generally good as well but it will depend to some degree on the specific design of the mattress, on your relative weight ranges, and your sleeping style (such as how close you sleep together). Innersprings that are linked with helicals (vs pocket coils) are generally poor to fair depending on the specifics of the innerspring and the foam layers above it. The most reliable way to know whether a mattress is “motion isolating enough” would be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience with both of you on the mattress.
Subject to first confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list you wish to deal with is completely transparent (see this article) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Buffalo, NY area are listed in post #29 here.
